French Private Sector Growth Rebounds

(RTTNews) - France's private sector activity returned to growth in September and marked the fastest expansion in over two years, flash survey results from S&P Global showed Wednesday.

The headline composite output index posted 51.2 in September, up from 48.5 in August. A score above 50.0 indicates expansion.

The private sector activity ended the spell of contraction that commenced at the start of the year. Moreover, the reading signalled the strongest growth since August 2024.

The services Purchasing Managers' Index hit a 10-month high of 51.4 compared to 48.0 in August. Meanwhile, the factory PMI dropped to 50.3 from 51.1.

"The French economy displayed surprising resilience in September, although the durability of this expansion is questionable given new orders barely rose and firms' own expectations for activity deteriorated," S&P Global Market Intelligence Senior Principal Economist Joe Hayes said.

"Nevertheless, these data reinforce the narrative that European economies are weathering the war-induced inflation shock well," Hayes added.